Hot damn! Zee Sixth Dimension!

Last night was the world premiere of the 1982 classic the Forbidden Zone, in color for the first time ever! The screening took place at the classic Egyptian Theatre (pictured to the right).  This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I was kind of skeptical when I heard it would be colorized. It looks phenomenal in black and white, and I thought it would be criminal to mess with a classic.  But, I have to admit, the folks at Legend Films ( the ones who gave it color) did an incredible job! It was done in a tasteful manner, without it being overbearing.  Richard Elfman, the director, mentioned it was always meant to be in color, they just did not have enough money for it.  My congratulations goes out to Legend who made the film look even more phenomenal then it was!

Sittting next to me was a kind of weird girl.  She asked me why I was there, and I told her that The Forbidden Zone was one of my favorite films.  She was kind of shocked.  She had never seen the film, but came because she was friends with the actor who played Froggy ( one of the characters in the movie ).  She asked me a lot of questions about myself.  She talked about everything from feminism and barbies to the Holocaust. Very Nice, a little bit of a weirdy. 

After the Screening, There was a Q and A Panel with some of the cast and crew.  The panel consisted of Richard Elfman (director),  Susan Tyrell (Queen Dorris), Nick James (Writer/Prodcuer/Editor/AD), and John Nelson ( Animator).  The Discussion started off a little rocky, and a bit awkward.  Susan Tyrell is off her rocker.  I don't know if she was always like this. I mean, she was nominated for an oscar later on, but she sure is a loon now.  But, the Q and A got more interesting, yet remained a little awkward through-out. haha.  Richard did confirm that he and his brother Danny are in works on a sequel to the Forbidden Zone!  One of the highlights including getting  Matthew Bright (Squeezit) on the phone, for he was unable to attend due to a family emergency.  One of the drag queens in the audience was curious to if he was Gay or Jewish, or both. haha.

Overall, it was a very special evening.  I just wish I got to share it with a couple people. Namely Zach and Camella.  :)  I think those 2 would have appreciated the night greatly!

I have been FOREWARNED!

Yesterday, I was arriving home from work, riding my bike into the parking structure, when a man approaches me from behind.  I had my headphones in, and I pretend that I do not notice him.  Out of the corners of my eyes, I notice he is not moving.  So, I take out my earphones, and turn around. It is a middle aged man, probably in  in his late 30's.  He looks like a burnout, and he is obviously intoxicated by some sort of substance.  He warns me how there have been "certain people" in the neighborhood who want to "jack" me because of the bike I ride... I have never seen this guy in the neighborhood ever, nor have I seen anyone eyeing me as I ride by them.  I have 2 bikes, but he was referring to my white cruiser.  He explains I cannot ride around the neighborhood on a bike like that. " I mean, come on man, the bike is a pearl white...your shoes are white."  He then explains how people think I am trying to be a tough guy because I have tattoos.  He goes on for another 10 minutes or so, and I just keep nodding my head.  He ends where he begins by saying "You Just can't do thaaaat..." and as he drawls out "thaaaaat" he gets back on his bike and rides away.  

He said he was doing me a favor. He explained that he told whoever wanted to jack me, that he would talk to me first, since I seemed like a cool guy.  He also told me to spray paint my bike. Needless to say, I don't think anyone will be jacking me.  This guy is a wack-a-doo.  But, it still weirded me out.

I planned on staying in last night, since i was utterly exhausted from Monday nights activities.  But, as I nap, my buddy Jace sends me a text asking if I was going to UCB.  I told him, I would go if he went.  So around 10, I met up with Jace, John, and Franny ( who is making a stop in L.A. for a little bit, while she travels across the U.S.)  A lot of the "See You Next Tuesday" nights, I attend by myself. So, it was a lot of fun going with friends.  The comedy show was quite exceptional in fact.  All the comedians were enjoyable.  I wouldn't say there was a single bad apple in the bunch.  So,  we watch the show, we leave, I ride my bike home. I am on the road bike this time, not the cruiser.  I think that was the only thing keeping me from getting jacked as I rode into my neighborhood... haha.

Tonight is Forbidden Zone night!!!!!  And, I cold not be anymore pumped!

EARTHQUAKE!!!!

Well, folks, I just experienced my very first Earthquake!  I was at the reception desk here at work, when everything started shaking.  It was a very surreal feeling.  Not so much as scary, as more confusing on what the hell was going on... It lasted about 30 seconds, and afterwards, myself and my co-workers congregated out in the parking lot. The News reports it as a 5.8 on the richter scale. That is considered a moderate sized earthquake.  I was literally shooken up, and my body felt like it was being shaken, even after the tremors had stopped.  But, Like I said.. It was not scary, just more surreal.  

I hope Roxie is ok!

Party All The Time Guy !

So Sleepy and and full of coughs this morning. Please allow me to explain.  Last night was the Bloc Party Rock N' Bowl Party Last Night over in Eagle Rock.  Although, I am not quite sure if Bloc Party was even in attendance... haha.

I attended the event with my college buddies Jace, John, and Meredith.  I was also set up on a blind friend date as well, with this dude Tony. haha.  Tony is a friend of a co-worker, who wanted to go to the bash last night.  So my co-worker "hooked me up" with him, so Tony would not have to attend alone.  He was a cool dude, and I would hang out with him again.  It did however feel like we were being set up on a man-date...

  The whole thing was such a blast!  Free Bowling,  Open Bar, Dancing,  Too many Cigarettes, some crazy DJ's, Party All The Time Guy,  And plenty of L.A. wackadoo girls... haha.  From my observations, the majority of girls born and raised in L.A., who continue to live here, are 95% of the time going to be wackadoos...haha.

I thought I was bowling pretty well last night, then checked my score... not so good. But, Bowling is not about who has the highest score.  Its about trying to keep your wrist and fingers intact from the only ball with big enough finger holes, that just so happens to be a little too heavy for you...

The event was sponsored by Sparks.  So last night consisted of Free Sparks (and Vodka).  I was definitely a little hyped up after drinking a couple glasses.. A lot of the evening felt like a high-school graduation party. haha. Especially after I was hopped up on Sparks and hit the dance floor.

I smoked way too many cigarettes and my lungs are paying for it this morning.  I kind of feel pretty bad, and have a wicked cough. Lesson Learned. 

Me So Tiiiiiirrreeed.

But, it was all worth it.  A Super Fun evening indeed!  Just need a little bit of a nap...haha

Where AREN'T we going? : The Weekend Wrap Up

FRIDAY:

This was a fun evening with a good ol' friend of mine from High-school, Mr. Blake Hood.  Blake lives out in L.A. and he is one fella I do not get to see near as often as I would like.  We started off  the evening by grabbing a bite of Pizza at the Village Pizzaria off of larchmont.  The Pizza was pretty good, but I wish I had ordered the thick crust.  There is something about thin crust pizza that just turns me off.  It's like eating  one of those build-your-own pizza lunchables.  But, it was my fault. I had all the intentions of ordering the thick crust, but it slipped my mind as the waitress arrived.  

Blake Ordered a Beer, and as the waitress brought it out, she apologized for not bringing a bottle opener.  He said that it was ok, "It's a twist-off."  The Waitress insisted it was not.  Blake counter-pointed.  This went back and forth, until Blake made a bet, that if it was a twist-off, we would get a slice of pizza on the house. Sure enough, placing the bottle neck underneath his t-shirt, and with a quick flip of the wrist, the cap was off.  It was a Plain cheese slice.

Afterwards, we went back to Blakes to pick up his roommate Greg, before we rode off to the comedy show at Meltdown Comics.  We decided ( or should I say, I decided) the most fun mode of transportation would be bicycling to the comic book store.  I brought an extra bike for Blake, and Greg borrowed another roommate's.  We were a small bike gang, but fierce! haha. So we rode over, watched some comedy.  It was mediocre.  A lot funnier in the past.  We rode home though the dark streets of some of the nicest neighborhoods in Hollywood.  It was a great feeling.  Greg headed in, and Blake and I decided to do something a little un orthodox, and grab some PinkBerry. This was my first venture into the holy territory.  There is nothing like grabbing some delicious frozen yogurt with a good friend, at midnight. Well, I bet grabbing some delicious frozen yogurt with a good friend at one a.m. would be pretty similar.... 

SATURDAY:

  I spent the better part of the day riding my bike around town, watching movies, cleaning the apartment, etc.  Come night fall, I had planned on going to a party with Lauren.  Lauren picks me up, 5 after 10, and we head to Highland Village for the mystery party.  Be forewarned.  If the party promises interpretive dance performances, this is probably a passable party.  How is that for alliteration? haha.  We arrive, and do a walk by.  We spot a couple people in the house laying on the floor, and a camera set up, and a weirdo guy waiting by the door to go in.  We continue to walk.  We walk, we loop, and we are back in the car, heading to some place more comforting.  A friend was having an " I am off to Canada for 2 months" celebration.  Thats like the 4th "I am off to Canada for 2 moths" celebration , just this month! 

SUNDAY:

I accomplished a goal, I have been wanting to for a long time.  I did it. I made it to the top of Runyon Canyon! (see picture above).  I made an earlier attempt in the past.  It involved me nauseously, huffing and puffing up the mountain, until I reached what was about halfway point, and was forced by my body to turn around.  Given, this was in the midst of the several months I suffered from a panic disorder.

So Yesterday, I rode my bike to the canyon.  And with my bike mix blasting in my headphones, I trekked up the terrain.  It was easier then I could have imagined.  I guess my workouts have payed off!  I felt incredibly accomplished when I reached the peak.  I witnessed a view of Los Angeles, unlike one I had ever seen. It truly was breathtaking.  I sat up there for a little while, and took everything in.  Honestly, this helped me re-evaluate a lot of things in my life.  I felt accomplishing this goal, helped me put a lot of things behind me.  I left, feeling a since of greatness.  I was the mountain.

I arrived home, and received a phone call from Kameron.  I had a short but sweet conversation with this girl.  It was really nice getting to talk to her :)

I Then made my way over to the UCB theatre for my ritualistic ASSSSCAT performace.  It is always really funny and a good time.  But, I felt it was exceptionally  funny this evening.  Consistent laughing throughout the entire performance!  Over the past few months, I have developed a since of humor.  I am no longer afraid to LOL, if you will. haha.  And, I have the Upright Citizens Brigade to thank. So, Thank You.

I did not sleep well last night.  I watched a movie and went to sleep later than usual.  I woke up a couple hours later, restless and unable to fall back asleep.  I made my way to the living room.  Ate some Butterfinger Birthday Cake, and watch I Am Sam on TBS.  Around 5am, I was able to pass out on the couch.

Tonight I will be Rocking and Bowling with Bloc Party!  Shall be a reeeeallll good time!

It's Hammer Time!

Last night was my first trip to the Hammer Museum.  Indie 103.1 was putting on a special performance of Tokyo Police Club and Afternoons.  So, I invited my friends Stephanie and we made our way to the museum.  

I have heard the name Tokyo Police Club, but never really gave them a listen.  I was more interested in the L.A. band Afternoons ( who are comprised of the members of Irving).  I was quite surprised at the fan base occupying the beautiful Museum courtyard, where the stage was set up. I felt a million years old.  The majority of crowed, consisted of High School age hooligans.  I definitely felt like the older brother taking my younger sibling out to a musical event. haha.  

The "hipster" culture is a bizarre one.  I remember when I was in high-school, I pretty much stood out of the crowed.  I was looked upon being a little weird for rolling my jeans up...haha. But, It seems that a good percentage of high-schoolers these days are American Apparel hipsters. And they were ALL at the Hammer Museum last night!

Afternoons did a soundcheck and we had 40 min. to kill. So, Stephanie and I checked out some of the art the museum had to offer.  A lot of French turn of the century artists. Saw a couple Van Gough's,  Matis, Rembrandt, etc...  And there was a pretty sweet video instillation, by an artists who's name slips my mind.

Afternoons, finally goes on.  They put on a fantastic show!  I had seen them once before, but it was even more enjoyable in this environment.  It was getting a little chilly, and we were hungry, so we did not stick around for TPC.  I did not have much a desire to see them anyways.

I think this may have been the last concert event at the Museum for the summer, but I am looking forward to the series next year!

The Snorks.

I feel overly optimistic at the moment.  Something snapped this week, where I just feel pretty great most of the time.  I can't really explain it. It may be a phase, but hopefully the feelings are not fleetings.

Know what I am  not a big fan of ?   When riding my cruiser on the sidewalk, people see me coming, and freeze like a deer in headlights.  OR, even worse, when they see me coming, and purposely block the little ramp things off the sidewalk.  Who the fuck does that?  I will tell you who... citizens of Little Armenia.  Well, cut it out you jerks.

I was very lazy last night.  I wanted to go see The Wizard of Oz at the Grove.  They were showing it outside in their little park. Unfortunately, I did not have anyone to go with.  AND, if I went by myself I would have felt that everyone was staring at me.  Why can't a young male adult watch The Wizard of Oz by himself in a park with a bunch of families and little kids?  But, they are showing movies every wednesday for the next month.. So I shall have other opportunities.  Even though, Wizard of Oz is pretty much my favorite movie of all time...

So, instead I was going to go on a long bike ride and clean the house when I got back.   Alternatively , I spent the evening cyber chatting on the interweb with someone cool...haha. But, that was more than fine with me.  I have been so active, its perfectly ok to have a night in, where I do not do anything.  Actually, it was probably needed!

Tonight, I shall be seeing Tokyo Police Club and Afternoons at the Hammer Museum.  Shall be fun!

Living in the 6th Dimension!

In one week, I will be in attendance at a one time only screening of one of my favorite movies of all time !!! THE FORBIDDEN ZONE !  Director Richard Elfman will be doing a Q and A, and it says there will be special guests as well.  I am hoping for his bro Danny Elfman... or better yet, Oingo Boingo!

If you Have not seen The Forbidden Zone, see it ASAP!

"When I had you to myself, I didn't want you around"

MONDAY NIGHT:

So, last night was the typical Monday Night routine.  I start off the evening at Spaceland.  Usually Spaceland is filled with people who seem pretty cool and interesting.  Last night it seemed as if a West Hollywood invasion had taken over this East side club.  Some awful pretty boy/radio pop/rock band played.  Its as if these guys said, "hey.. we are all good looking dudes, girls like us, BUT... let us start a musical project to broaden our woman base!  And we shall dub thee Hello Vegas !"  That is where they high-five each-other and start taking notes from their favorite christian alternative bands... The second band was a little better.. strait on rock, but they too looked like douche bags.. haha.  I guess they were friends with actor/musician Drake Bell ( of Nickelodeon Drake and Josh Fame, haha) because he was there as well...

I left Spaceland early because of the lameosity of the evening.  I proceeded to head over to Barneys for Karaoke.  Pleasant time there.  I sang an awful rendition of "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5.  Stayed for a while, grew exhausted and came home.

WORK:

Work has been pretty cool lately.  I felt like such a worthless human being for such a long time, since I was doing absolutely nothing at work.  I would sit on the internet all day long, watch youtube videos, and play on myspace. I FINALLY am starting to be productive, and am doing my fair share of work.  I have learned a lot here, as far as the more technical side of Post Production work.  I can see myself staying here a little longer then I expected.  I wanted to rush into Production asap.  But, now that I am actually working, I enjoy everything a lot better.  The stability is nice as well..haha.

COMING UP TONIGHT:

See You Next Tuesday @ the UCB !!!!

A Fantastic Weekend!

I don't really feel like typing a lot this morning.  So, I will write a quick recap of the highlights of this fun filled weekend:

FRIDAY:

- Nice Long Bike Ride

- CJ's Birthday Extravaganza! @ Happy Endings

- Seeing Becca and Natalie (who were in town for the night and I have not see since High-school)

- Meeting Whitney (Wendy), Who I went to High-school with but never knew

- Hanging out at Blake's till 3:30 in the am.

SATURDAY:

I got to hang out with Whitney all day! Activities included:

- Going to American Vintage

- Taking a Drive Through Griffith Park

- Getting Gelato

- Going to the Grove, eating Chipotle, watching an oldies cover band and enjoying babies dancing. ( I spotted Elijah Wood here!)

- Going to the Glow art installation at the Santa Monica Pier

SUNDAY:

- Watched Weeds all day

- Went and stood in line for ASSSSCAT with Jessica and CJ ( but we did not get in)

- Finished Season 3 of Weeds

Overall, an awesome weekend!  I hope the awesomeness continues into this work week!!!!

It's the Potters!

Last night was an exhausting one!  My friends Harry and The Potters played here in L.A. last night.  One of my good friends, John Clardy is on tour as their drummer.  The tour is entitled "The Unlimited Enthusiasm Tour".  The name is by far, more than suiting...  Potters, and the rest of the bands took over the historic Troubadour, with decorations and little booths consisting of a summer camp theme.  The ULTIMATE summer camp as the theme song explains.  

The bands on tour with the Potters this time around were, Uncle Monsterface, Math the Band, and the ever wonderful Jason Anderson.  All put on a great show.  Every song was an  energetic punch to the stomach.  It was more than draining to say the least..haha.  The audience was young, and were able to withstand and withhold the "energy punches".  I felt in the minority of those over 21 for sure...

This was my first time at the Troubadour.  With all the historic events, and name bands that play there, I was expecting a grand ballroom.  But, it was relatively small, and intimate.  Pretty cool place, with the major downfall being its West Hollywood location.

After the show I went with The Potters over to the world famous Pink's Hotdogs.  This was my first experience at Pink's.. a little overdue seeing that I have been here for almost a year!  Paul treated me to a chili dog, and I am not quite sure if it lived up to the hype, but it was quite tasty.

After Pink's it was around 2:30am, and I let the Potter guys, along with Uncle Monsterface, crash at my place.  It was fantastic getting to see everyone! And, John said he is going to try to come back in August for a couple days, which would be great!

Tonight will consist of CJ's birthday activities. Happy Early Birthday, my friend!

I'm Sorry for Being a jerk...

The past couple weeks, I have been in a funk.  Its causing me to treat some of my friends poorly.. one friend in particular.  Depression likes to creep up on you at the least opportune times. Don't get me wrong.  I do not consider myself depressed, or to suffer from depression, but I have been  stricken by the "blah", more often than not.  I try to maintain a positive attitude, but sometimes the "I miss her" factors, are too over bearing.  

   It has been almost 3 months since the break up.  I have done a lot of good things for myself!  I am waaaaaaay more active then I have ever been.  I lost a lot of weight.  I have made lots of new friends.  I do fun activities 6 out of 7 nights a week.  Unfortunately, my new found lust for life, is lacking one thing.  I was warned that she was a heart breaker from the beginning, and she swore to never break mine.  But, as I do with most relationships ( friends and lovers ) , I took things for granted, and feel that I am the cause for the end results.

  Not a single minute goes by where I do not think of her.  I need to move on,  but I have never felt so weak in this department.  I have met a lot of new women, and have gone on a fair amount of dates, but as my friend Sinead always said " nothing compares to you ". That was cheesy and lame, with the borderline gay, haha. I apologize.

   I am pretty sure she has a new boyfriend.  I don't know for a fact, but that is the assumption I am making.  I lost all contact with her.  I do not see her on myspace, Ichat, and I erased her number out of my phone so I cannot call or text her.  And, I guess I am just typing this thing to vent.  I don't have anyone to vent to. I may have ruined, at least temporarily, my friendship with the one friend out here, who I feel I could REALLY talk to.

  I Love life, and I love what I have done with myself.  I look great and feel great.  I just think I may have been brainwashed into thinking I was going to spend the rest of my life with this girl, and I need the mind warp to wear off.  So, in the meantime there is nothing for me to do.  Time heals all.  I just wish the clock's hands would spin a little faster...

   

Foos It Up!

Last night was Free Foosball night at the Cha Cha.   Being a fan of the "foos", I met Lauren and Lindsey there for some ultimate foosball.  Lauren and I played for a little while before Lindsey showed up.  There must be some sort of skill and strategy to foosball, but I can't really figure it out...haha.  We both had our share of wins, but I think overall Lauren was the better Foos player that evening.  

Without notice, this overwhelming since of tiredness had struck me, and I could not stay out that much longer.  I was foosed out for sure.  So, I watched Lauren and Lindsey play a couple games of foosball, and I was off and out.

The tiredness continues into this morning.  I feel sleepy and a little bummed out. When am I going to get over THIS ?

Itchy Eye Balls.

Its awful having itchy eyeballs and not being allowed to go near them for 3 months!  Hopefully the itchiness will subside after this week. If I believe in it, it will! Its all in the power of the mind! haha.

MUSIC:

Last night was the residency show at Spaceland.  I didn't stay for Under the Influence of Giants, who is the resident band this month, BUT, I did get to catch Lukas Hass.  He is one of those actors turned musicians, and you would know him from Mars Attacks, Brick, Last Days, etc.  But I really enjoyed his music!  He reminded me a lot of Blake Sennett. The opening band was a punch of pretty boys who are "down with folk music".  The bands name was Whiskey.. something, I forget.  But, they were pretty bad, and there songs were pretty lame.  Well, at least they still have their looks....

It hit 11 o'clock, and it was time to move my car.  So , I just decide to head over to meet some friends at Barney's Beanery for karaoke night.

KARAOKE:

Not much to say about Karaoke night.  Its always a fun time!  So, naturally, it was a fun time. haha.  I laid low, and chose not to sing.  However, my friends put on a drunkenly superior show, as always!  So I stayed for a couple hours, and then it was past my bedtime.  I drive through Taco Bell, for a late night dinner, finish off Disc 1, Season 2 of Weeds, tape my eye shields to my face, and fall asleep.

Things I am Looking forward to This Week:

- Seeing John, and the Harry and the Potters folks

- GLOW at the Santa Monica Pier

LASIK WEEKEND 2008!

Well, The time has finally come!  I am free from all corrective lenses!!!  I got my lasik Saturday, and to my suprise, it was A LOT easier then I thought it would be.  It is the post-op work that is a pain in the ass....

SATURDAY (Surgery Day):

I was nevervous all week for the lasik procedure.  From its description, it is a quite scary process. Your head its strapped to a chair, and your eyes

 held open by clamps (very Clockwork Orange-esque), while you watch the doctor cut open your eyeball, and shoot lasers into it, and smell your eye ball burning, and hear popping, etc...  But, its really not scary at all once you do it!  I promise. You cant see what's going on that well, because your cornial flap is open.. so everything just looks blurry, and like you are under water. The procedure takes about 10 min. and you are done.  Lauren was kind enough to drive me to and from the procedure, since you are not allowed to drive yourself.  We leave the office, and my eyes are KILLING ME.  I have to wear these douchey sunglasses all day and night, and it is nearly impossible to keep my eyes open.  So I get home, lay down, and fall in and out of sleep for a little while.  Around nightfall, I am finnaly able to keep my eyes open, I watch some "Jurassic Park" with CJ, he falls asleep, I finish and watch the end of "Weeds: Season 1".  

Post-Op is the difficult part.  I have 3 different kinds of eye drops I have to use, 1 for a week ,1 for 2 weeks, 1 for a month or more.  The worst are the eye steroids, which are this sick milky substance that sticks to your eye lids.  It goes through my sinus, and I can actually taste it, and feel it in my throat.  Pretty sick! ( Not "Sick", as in " Oh Man! Its raining Pizza Rolls! Thats Sick!!!"). I have to sleep with plastic "eye shields" taped to my face for a month. I wake up, take those suckers off, and I have sticky face for a good part of the day.  Why don't I just wash my face really well?  Well, Washing your face is scary as shit! You are in constant fear of putting to much pressure around your eyes, which will do damage.  The way the doctor and info sheet make it sound, any little action close to your eyeball, may possibly do some damage. I will just be happy in a month or so, when all Post-Op precautions are through! 

SUNDAY: GraveYard Movie Night

Sunday I had to go back to the doctor in the morning.  He was going to "wipe" my eyes, whatever that means.  But, he said they looked perfect, and just to come back next week for it.  So I left, and went and got my first pair of "real" sunglasses!  Sunglasses, that are not the blue-blocker, old man, fits over my normal glasses, sun glasses.  Went to hung out with Lauren and do some free laundry while she was house-sitting.  Drove home to get ready for the evening. As I was driving home, I had this weird vibe.  I couldn't explain it.. there was just an oddness in the air.  I  was at a stoplight at an intersection, when a car comes speeding by on my left, goes through the red light, and nails 2 cars.  It was pretty nuts!  Maybe that was the pinnacle of the odd factor? Anyways, I get home and get ready for the CEMETERY MOVIE!

Every Saturday and Sunday, they show movies in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.  It is a really cool cemetery where likes of Marilyn Monroe, and other old celebs are buried. This was my first time to go, but I have been wanting to ever since I found out about when I had just moved here.  It was a lot of fun!  Tons of people go. You walk through the cemetery to get to the open area where they show the movie.  Everyone brought blankets and picnics, and games to play before the movie.  It was great!  I felt like it was the 4th of July and and I was about to witness a spectacular fireworks display! haha.  The movie they were showing last night, was the 80s classic "Valley Girl" with Nicholas Cage. Everyone gets into the movie, yelling stuff, and clapping, and whooping it up.  I would definitely like to attend again, but have a little more picnic preparation!

So, thats it.  I have my eyes back, and am waiting out the post-op procedure.  As much of a pain it is to take care of your new eyes for a couple months.  It is/will be waaaaaaaay more than worth it!  If anybody is considering lasik, it is so simple and easy, just do it!  Or, if you have any lasik questions, feel free to ask me. haha.

My Glasses Broke!

My FIRST Hollywood Movie Premiere!

Last night, I attended, my very first Hollywood Movie Premiere.  It was for a film entitled Garden Party.  I was invited as a last minute date for my friend Summer.  Let me tell you, even though the movie was quite awful ( I described it as soft core porn, minus the porn), I had such a blast!  The event started off with a delicious buffet of mexican food.  Gourmet Tacos, and what have you.  Quite delicioso !  We mingled for a little while, and then it was time to go in and watch the film. We attended the event with two of Summer's friends.  A very cool girl ( who has a greek name, which I wont even attempt to type out) and a very cool guy, Jared ( who has a song in the movie).  These guys were totally awesome, and I cannot wait to hang out with them again! 

*on a side note*  I am starting to feel like I am finally beginning to build up some L.A. friends.  I know in a couple years, I will feel so much more at home, by running into a lot more faces I know.

ANYWAYS, we watch the film, which Summer made more interesting by sneaking in some vodka.. So, we watch, watch, watch, credits roll, and we are out, and off to the after party at Tangier. 

Tangier was a lot of fun!  Had some drinks, ate a bit of snackage, and shook a little leg on the dance floor (even though our little group was the only one dancing, haha). It was crowded with industry people, and friends of.  Good times were enjoyed be everyone!

It was getting late and it was time to call it a night.  As I was walking back to my car, my glasses frame broke, and I had to tape them back together when I got home.  Good thing I am getting Lasik tomorrow!!!!

I had a date this morning...... A COURT date!

So, back in December I received a ticket for "Driving Without A License".   I HAD a license, but since it was a Texas license, the cop did not consider it valid, since I had been living in California for more then 10 days.  I was a recent transplant to L.A., and was not officially a resident.  I did not have a permanent address, nor was my car registered in the state of California.  ANYWAYS, I had to go to the courthouse to take care of the ticket back in January.  I was ordered a court date for the violation.  The earliest date they had was July 10th...

HALF A YEAR LATER......

It is this week, and a friend brought up something about having to go to court. Oh Shit!  It hits me that I had to go to court sometime this month for the  ticket.  I just hoped that I had not missed it.  So, I check and it is for July 10th (Today) The end of the week..

THIS MORNING....

In a nutshell, my trip to the downtown courthouse went something like this:

L.A. METROPOLITAN COURTHOUSE - DAY

- Wait in a half-hour line just to get INTO the building..

- Go to the 3rd floor to wait in Another Line

- Get Called over to stand in the "English Speaking" Line, Proceed to stand in that line for half   an hour

- Get Called into the Courtroom, where I sit amongst a group of "English Speaking" Adults , where we get treated like a group of 5th Graders by a County Sheriff.

- They Call my name, ask if I have a Valid Drivers License. I say "Yes", and they tell me to go to the Cashier

- Pay the Cashier 10 bucks.

- THE END

I spend over 2 hours at the courthouse to pay the cashier 10 bucks... something I could have done 6 months ago, when I was there and showed them the proof of correction for the violation.

Now I missed 2 hours of work and lost 18 bucks ( Court Fee and Parking )...

Tonight I want to go see Hairspray at the Free Universal City Walk Outdoor Movies....

Fly Girlzzzz

Last Night was such a Blast! Every Tuesday night I attend a free comedy show at the UCB theatre.  Judd Apatow was performing again last night, so I made sure to get there early, to beat out all the hardcore Apatow fans.   My friend Jessica met me at 8:30, and Her, Myself, and CJ left to embark onto some standing in line action outside the  theatre.  But, as a line standing necessity, we stopped off at 7-11, where I treated my fellow companions to some "line standing" slurpees!  Cherry Coke all around! haha.  So we stand in line for about an hour and a half (we are the 2nd people in line).  We met a nice girl, Taube, from Northwestern University.  It was weird because we became instant "line buddies" with her.  When the guy at the door said he could only let in 3 people, we were all hesitant for some reason.  Then I realized, we did not come with this person...I think it shall be ok if we go ahead. haha.

  It was so packed from the previous show, that although we were only the 2nd people in line, we had to sit indian style on the stage.  Its not that easy to sit like that for long periods of time.  Back in the days of grade school assemblies in the "cafetorium", I could go all day siting on the floor, indian style, enjoying the "yo-yo man" or whatever awesome programming they had scheduled.

There were a lot of comedians this time around! The always funny Matt Besser hosted the festivities ( Matt Besser is a founding member of UCB, and you would know him from the UCB TV show a few years back).  Aziz from Human Giant was the opener.  I have seen him perform several times, but not strait forward stand-up.  He was really on, and really funny!  Then a couple more people, who I forget, blah blah blah... Then Judd Apatow comes on and does his bit.  He was a lot funnier this go-around then when I saw him previously.  A lot more polished and well rehearsed.  After his routine, he announces he would like to bring out a comedian who is performing stand-up for the first time.  He announces .... Jonah Hill!  So, Jonah comes out and does his routine.  For a first time comic, it was SO GREAT!  Actually, it was SO GREAT for any experienced comic, as well.  He is just a naturally funny dude. He does his bit, there are several more comedians, and then the night is over.

  A Fantastic Evening was had all around!  And, I cannot wait for next Tuesday, to see what surprises are lurking around the corner!

The Sunset Strip

Last Night I went to see my friends Lemon Sun play over at the Key Club on the Sunset Strip. The Sunset Strip is a very pretty area to walk around.  There are a lot of lights, and everything is leaning towards the fancy side.  But go in any music club, or bar, and you are most likely to find a hoard of douche-bags and over protective security ( I had been riding my bike, and the security was hesitant about me bringing my bike pump in).  They Key Club was swarming with slutty rich girls, and sleazy dude bros, a long with pretty much everything in between.  I guess I am more into the down to earth areas.   Although I enjoy the richness and fanciful affairs on occasions, I would rather be siting at a hole in the wall.  In fact, I would rather be doing something active. Like riding my bike or an all night out door dance party!  

Anyways, I really don't have anything to talk about today. Lemon Sun was great as always.  And, I cannot wait to see some comedy tonight!  I think I get to see Judd Apatow again.. even though he wasn't that great the first time, haha.  It is still neat to see him!

Now For Waste of Your Time..

Borefest 2008 Alert:  If you want to see me video chat with my good friend John Cantrell, about why ID4 ( Independence Day) is such an "explosive" movie ... watch it here !

My 24th Birthday/ Mother Visiting Weekend '08

What an action pack weekend I had.  Mom was in town,  Independence Day, AND my day of birth!

So ladies and gentlemen... let the blogging begin... this will be a long one....

FOURTH OF JULY: EVENING

One of my favorite things in the world is getting to see Fireworks on the 4th of July.  My Birthday is the 5th, and I have always associated the fireworks with by day o' birth.  My Mom was in town, and we decided to meet up with Lauren, Lindsey, Gigi, and Brittany over in Santa Monica.  Although they were not launching Fireworks from SM, we could still see the ones near by.  So we walk down to the beach, and spot fireworks in the distance.  They were a little ways off, so we start walking towards them.  In fact, we were walking towards them during the whole display!  Just as they seemed to get closer, the next series would push on back.  It was as if they new that we were following them, and the fireworks were freaked out, running off.  But, it was a gorgeous night,  the company was more than pleasent, and the setting was beautiful.  Next year I hope to be a little closer :)  I enjoy the fear of fireworks' ambers, possibly falling in my hair.

THE METRO ART TOUR:

Birthday Morning, I decided a fun activity for my Mom and I to partake in would be the L.A. Metro Art Tour.  This was something I had been wanting to do for quite some time.  First Off, I love Art, Secondly, I Love riding in subways.  This was the ultimate mesh up.  Basically, it is a free tour, held on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month.  You meet a guide at 10am, outside the Hollywood/Highland Metro station, and you ride the subways all morning, while th guide explains all the artwork that makes up each station.  You see, Each station has a different artist who has been commissioned by the city, to make the stop into a work of art. Our tour group consisted of 2 couples, All in their 70s +.  They did however enjoy my tattoos, and call ME a work of art. haha.  It was such a blast , and the art was way cool!  I cannot wait to do this again next month! 

After the tour, my mom and I celebrated one of our favorite hobbies.  Thrift Shopping.  Although neither one of us found anything, it was still good times.  We then took a drive through Griffith Park, which I discovered quite recently.  It is such a beautiful place, and my mom really enjoyed it.  Following our drive we had a late lunch at Good, off of Sunset.  I had eaten there once before, and I must say.. it was "good". haha.  

At This Point, it was time to take a little birthday rest, and I dropped my Mom of at her hotel, and took a little siesta at my place.

BIRTHDAY NIGHT ACTIVITIES:

 My Mom wanted me to take me out for a birthday dinner, and she encouraged me to bring a friend.  I opted for my gal pal, Lauren. She met me at my place, and gave me my birthday present.  2 words. WALKIE .... TALKIES!  And they are incredibly awesome! Thank You very Much Lauren! Walkie Talkies are one of my favorite things in the world!  AND, that was one of thew few actual birthday gifts I have received in the past 7 + Years ... ANYWAYS, we go and pick up my Mom from her hotel.  I take her to the grove, and I pick the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  I told my Mom and Lauren not to mention my birthday to the waiter.  They do it anyways, while I am away in the restroom. haha. So towards the end of dinner, the wait staff presents me with a tiny ice cream sundae and sings me some rendition of "Happy Birthday".

Dinner was over, and it was then time to drop my mom off, and head over to the ChaCha for Birthdayness with friends!

Tha Cha Cha was great.  It is my favorite bar in L.A. And it felt so comforting to be surrounded by friends.  Everyone seemed to be having a really fun time!  There were even a couple celebrity guests ( including Bret from Flight of the Conchords, Aziz from Human Giant, and Mr. Jesse Camp from MTV )! haha.  Lauren and Lindsey demolished Aziz in a couple games of foosball!  I lost in a game of foosball :(  It was my birthday... you are supposed to LET me win....ha.  So, we stayed to closing, and my birthday night was over.

SUNDAY: VENICE BEACH

Yesterday I took my Mom to Venice Beach, where we road our bikes all a long the bike path to Santa Monica.  My Mom was able to keep up surprisingly well on my cruiser.  I guess, I may have slowed down a little for her...haha. But it was real cool getting to share something I love so much (bike riding on the beach) with my mom!

After Venice, we took a little breather. I dropped her off at her hotel, and I went to my place for a little bit.  After the break, it was then time to meet up with my Mom, so I could take her to the UCB theatre for a performance of ASSSSSCAT.

ASSSSSCAT:

It was a lot of fun.  My mom loved the show as well!  She can appreciate some dirty humor with the rest of them.  There is a part in the show, where the comedians take surveys of the audience.  They bet each-other "How many Southerners do you think are here?" or  " How many people work in Animation?" or some other poll.  This time it was " How many Atheists  ?" haha.  So each of the 6 comedians were told to select an audience member who they though was an Atheist.   Doug Benson ( Best Week Ever, We the 70s, 80s, 90s) picked me, and to my surprise all the other comedians let out a " AHHHHHH" in unison... for all 6 had chosen me. haha.  I was a 1 out of 100. But, Anyways, it was a great show, and it was also very cool getting to share that with my Mom!  She had just as great as time as I did.  

We were quite famished after the show, so we headed to Canters Deli, for a late night nosh.  You have to say "nosh" because it is a Jewish Deli.  At the table next to us was the always weirdRodney Bingenheimer. This was the 2nd time for me to see him in one week.  I guess he truly is "The Mayor of the Sunset Strip".  So, we finished dinner and called it a night.

I dropped my Mom off at the airport this morning.  It was so great having her in town.  Although it was only a couple days, we crammed so many activities into the weekend, it felt like we shared a lot more time.  AND,  Thank You to everyone who made my Birthday weekend so much fun! 

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of JULY !!!

- This is me in my proper red/white/blue -

( I cant tell if I look European, or like a Gay )

( This Peace Sign I am holding with my hands will single handedly end the war in Iraq )

Anyways...

Here is a quick recap of yesterday....

-  All my friends got out of work early, but I had to work a full day...

- 3 Employee Birthdays (including myself) this weekend, and no ice cream cake :(

- Clint and Nicks 3rd of July Party, with fun dip!

- Getting to Video Chat with Mr. John Cantrell ... 

Today:

- July 4th Pool Party at Kozak and Bernies 

-Picking up my Mom at Union Station!

- Lunch with Mom, and showing her my work

- going back to pool party for a little bit

Tonight:

- Fireworks at the Beach!

Roxie LOVES Chatting on The Interweb...

I Got Bored and Cut My Hair....

One of the more Painful Nights...

Last Night was tattoo night!  It had been almost a year since I was previously inked, and you kind of forget how painful of hobby it can be.  This was my first tattoo session with Graham.  He is a friend of a friend from back in Texas, and I was elated with his work!  We started off the night doing a piece on my chest.

(I was very sneaky taking this picture at work.)

The Chest is one of the more sensitive areas to get tattooed.  All work that crossed my sternum was quite painful.  But, as most of you know, I am a man's man, and took the pain with a grain of salt.  I swallow glass and nails for breakfast. haha.  

I have been collecting old timey imagery for years.  There are so many tattoos I would like to get, its just a matter of time at this point.  So, previously, Graham and I talked about the possibility of doing two tattoos that night.  The other being a neck tattoo I have wanted to get for some time.  We agreed that we were both up for the task, so we got back to work.  About an hour and a half later, I had officially transformed into a freak, with a tattoo that is visible at all times...

(Yes. I am always this serious when taking pictures of Neck tattoos.)

Towards the 2nd half of the neck tattoo.  A woman came in with her 2 nieces, and asked if they could watch me get tattooed.  I said "sure". They were pretty young, and asked a lot of questions.  

After about 4 and a half hours of tattooing, we were calling it a night. We bandaged everything up, and I walked out with 2 new pieces of art that I love.

As I rode my bike home, I was bandaged up like a mummy on my chest and neck. I felt like Stacy from Wayne's World, when she is riding her bike with the neck brace on.  It was kind of scary riding at night , not really able to move my head around to check out the surroundings.  But don't worry.  I made it home without being hit by a car ( Notice the ability to use my fingers while I type this entry.)

I arrived home and fell asleep soon after.  I was tossing and turning all night.  I don't know if it was the bandages suffocating me, or what, but I could not sleep.  So, at around 3 in the morning, I thought my best bet would be to remove the bandages, take a shower, watch The Drew Carey Show: Season 1 , on DVD, and snack on Cool Ranch Doritos.  And ya know what?  The "cool ranchyness" of the Doritos, were just the sedative I needed to lull me back to sleep. Needless to say, It was quite a painful morning....

Give it 6 Months...

As I was signing into my Blog account, I questioned why it is I always make my entries in the morning , talking about yesterday, as opposed to writing in it at night, recapping the days events.  If I wrote in it at night I would feel a lot more like Doogie Howser M.D.  Maybe that is the reason I choose not to? Or Perhaps I get too lazy at night, and when I get home all I want to do is put in a DVD , roll over and go to bed.  I prefer the latter.*

*Note:  This Paragraph was a waist of everyones time.  

Last night, was the final night of the Afternoons residency at Spaceland.  I am so glad I got to catch them.  I was really really impressed!  It's one of those bands  you watch with a silly grin slapped across your face.  You just feel so good seeing musicians having so much fun and radiating positive vibes from their guitars and amps.  

I was debating wether I wanted to go to Spaceland, or the Matt and Kim show, also close to my place.  I figured since the Matt and Kim show was a Vice Magazine show, it would have been filled with a bunch of hipster douche-bags.  I always hate being categorized as a "hipster".  But, I guess those generalizations usually come from people who think anyone in fitted jeans is either a hipster or an emo kid.  I don't even know if there is really an emo scene anymore. At least like there was when I was in high-school.

Hipster: A Person who superficially follows recently mass-produced, homogenous, urban fashion trends, overly concerned with their image and the contradictions of their identity. Hipsters are apathetic, pretentious, and self-entitled.

That, my friends, is exactly what I cannot stand in a person.  I know I have gone off on hipster rants in previous posts...so, sorry.  For some reason it just pushes my buttons. haha.

ANYWAYYYYS.  At Spaceland I ran into Mike Lavanos, and I got to meet a couple of his friends.  I forgot their names, but they were really nice and cool.  Somehow we ended up talking about my last relationship, and my new friends said some things that were pretty re-assuring. It made me feel good.  I also got to see Mike Shapiro and Rachel.  Although the place was packed, and I am not a big fan of cramped spaces (it's odd, because I used to love confined spaces), it was a lot of fun!  

Tonight is Tattoo night!